Chapter Three: Helping Isis *~* Mahad POV *~*
I lead Yugi out of the lounge as quickly as I can, heading to the room I share with Isis. We walk in silence for a few moments, him trailing behind me, greeting everyone we pass politely, before I ask the question that's been bugging me since he got here and didn't walk straight out the door.
"Why… why are you helping?" I ask quietly. "After what you went through because of me this morning, I'd have thought you'd walk straight back out the door when you realized that I was here…"
"You may have gone about asking my help the wrong way, Mahad," he says lightly. "But I wouldn't turn my back on someone that needed my help merely because they had a mini meltdown. I'd be freaked too if someone I was close to was ill, and would have probably acted the same way."
"What do you do in the village?" I ask, trying to keep the awkward silence from returning. "Seto, one of the priests, said that the servants that return from the village have nothing to sing but praises of you."
"All sorts of things," he replies. "I make pottery, as you may have guessed from the small urn I threw at you, which I apologize for, by the way. I also make tunics and other outfits for those who need them, and do odd jobs around the village depending on who needs help and for what reason. If they truly need help I'll offer it but if they merely want someone to do it for them I say no. Often my home becomes refuge for those who don't have one, or need help getting back on their feet, since – as you've seen – it's fair sized and much too big for just me. Though, more often than not, my room and the workshop are off limits."
"I see," I whisper. "You truly are a rarity. This is our room, Isis is inside…" I stop in front of our room, opening the door for him.
"Thank you," he says, nodding. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to stay out here though. I promise it's nothing personal, but I think out loud more often than not about things like this and I was gone after by quite a few angry spouses and family members. I have no intentions of going through that again."
"Of course," I reply. "Isis has the same rule. 'If you're not hurt or ill, get out' is what she always says." He chuckles quietly, and I can't help but smile at the near bell like chime it has.
"I will see you as soon as I can, then," he tells me. He walks into the room and carefully shuts the door behind him, leaving me in the hall wondering if my wife will pull through.
*~* Yugi POV *~*
I close the door behind me before turning to look at the bed. A young woman of maybe twenty-two sat against the headboard, reading a scroll and seeming utterly bored.
"Hello," I say, walking forward. I stop a few feet away and give a small bow, showing my respect of her position in the palace. "My name is Yugi, and your husband has requested my help in identifying and curing your ailment. "
"Hello Yugi, my name is Isis," she replies, putting aside her scroll. "It's a pleasure to meet you, though I'm sure how much you'll be able to help, even I've never seen anything like this before."
"Well," I say, feigning hurt. "I see. So you won't mind if I look you over? Though I agreed to help your husband, it's you I need permission from really."
"Yes," she laughs. "You have my permission. And I didn't mean to offend you; I don't know your skill set enough to truly make those judgments."
"It's fine," I say, waving it off as I walk forward to sit on the side of the bed. "I won't claim to be a healer of great power or value, so I don't mind." I rest the back of my hand gently on her forehead, using the other to hold her wrist and take her pulse. I pull a few herbs out of my bag along with a mortar and pestle, also pulling out a small bottle of water and a bowl.
"This may feel a bit peculiar," I mutter, laying one hand over her heart and the other over her stomach. I feel the flutter of two small hearts under my left palm, the aura around it glowing a dull pink, the aura around my right hand a pale blue. The pink aura allowed me to 'see' into the body for injuries that would otherwise go unnoticed. The blue aura allowed me to look into the bodies 'mind', telling me if any abnormal micro bodies (bacteria) were present and causing a problem. I scowl at what I found though. Even with the good news, Isis has developed a mild cold, adding problems and symptoms that wouldn't normally be present. Added together and it could be fatal. Though it's no wonder no one knew what was going on with her.
I pick out frankincense, juniper berries, jbw-plant, jbxj-liquid, and a few other things (including just a pinch of healing power) before mixing everything together and handing it over to Isis in a small bowl. She raises an eyebrow but doesn't object, taking the medicine quickly and handing back the small clay object.
"You should be better by tomorrow Isis," I say, rising from my perch at her side. I pack my things back in my bag and turn back to her with a smile.
"Thank you, Yugi," she sighs, sounding grateful and a bit relieved. "Now perhaps Mahad will stop fretting over me like a mother hen."
I smirk, "Speaking of mother hens…"
*~* Time Skip *~*
I sat in my workshop, making small toys from wood found around the desert. So far I had a small horse and cart with working wheels as well as a small dragon and knight set. The horse was white from a rare fossil wood, the cart a light brown. The knight was originally going to be a light brown, but I decided to stain it shimmering silver, the hilt of the hero's sword died gold. The dragon I had died a deep royal purple, nearly onyx color, the wing membrane a pale blue and the claws pure white. I put the finishing touches on the lion and tiger figurines, scratching in the hair and painting on the finer details. Satisfied that these toys could work for either sex (though I already knew that Isis and Mahad were having one of each), I wrapped them in colorful paper and a few ribbons, ready to deliver them the next chance I got. Or, if it came down to it, I could always ask Valon to bring them to the palace for me.
I got ready for bed, falling into a peaceful sleep.
*~* Yami POV *~*
I was disappointed when Isis and Mahad told me that Yugi had already returned to the village before I had a chance to chat with him. Though there was some good news from this whole thing. It turns out that Isis is pregnant with twins (though I don't know how that was found out this early on, her being only approximately six weeks along), and her due date is somewhere around the beginning of summer.
With thoughts of an amethyst-eyed beauty running through my mind, I fell into a peaceful sleep of courtship and tender moments with my personal angel.
The following ingredients were used in Egypt about 2000 years before Christ and perhaps further still as a cure to the common cold.
1/64 frankincense
1/16 juniper berries
1/16 Lower Egyptian jbw-plant, (an unidentified plant)
1/16 jbxj-liquid, (an unspecified liquid)
1/16 celery of the desert
1/16 celery of the North
1/16 pSnt-Mineral, (mineral not specifically designated)
1/16 tjam-plant, (an unidentified plant)
1/16 Rush
1/16 xbw-plant, (an unidentified plant)
1/16 Swt-Nmtj-plant, (creeping cinquefoil (Potentilla reptans)? Beard grass?)
1/32 white six-row barley
1/16 six-row barley green
5 ro conifer turpentine
1/16 gyt plant (a plant – the same as gjw – purple nutsedge)
5 ro psD (an unspecified fruit)-mineral
1/16 rwD mineral (a not-designated mineral)
1/8 xt-ds-plant (Myrtle (Myrtus communis)?
1/32 Honey